Dark Wine
“Slowly, slowly the night came in to fill the room, swallowing the pillars and both of them, like a dark wine poured to the ceiling." ("Ylla")
Following a dispute between Yll and Ylla, a Martian husband and wife, over Ylla's dreams of the arrival of humans, night falls and fills the room. This simile, "like a dark wine poured to the ceiling," is especially apt since the conversation has intoxicated her husband with visions of killing these intruders, leading to his foolish and reckless murder of Nathaniel York and his human companion.
A Child Staring at an Empty Christmas Tree
'“Well," said the captain, reluctant to go. He stood as if waiting for something. He looked like a child staring at an empty Christmas tree. "Well," he said again. "Come on, men.”' ("The Earth Men")
In this story, the second expedition from Earth has landed on Mars, but unbeknownst to them, they have entered a Martian mental asylum, where the authorities are used to hearing nonsensical stories. The captain has just attempted to tell someone that they have arrived from Earth, but the reply was far from expected and much too cavalier. Confused, the captain is compared to a child staring at an empty Christmas tree – he expected great celebration on this monumental day, but instead he doesn't even get an audience.
A Pale Sea Leviathan
“It had moved in the midnight waters of space like a pale sea leviathan; it had passed the ancient moon and thrown itself onward into one nothingness following another.” ("The Third Expedition")
This simile is describing the Third Expedition's ship: it is "a thing of beauty and strength," but one with great powers of destruction despite its beauty. This dramatic simile is foreshadowing the hostile interactions of the humans with the Martians, as well as providing an image of how the Martians view the invading Earthlings: as a mysterious and imposing force of nature.
Faces Like Wax
“Grandpa and Grandma Lustig were there, weeping, their faces shifting like wax, shimmering as all things shimmer on a hot day.” ("The Third Expedition")
In this story, the Third Expedition from Earth has arrived on Mars to find what appears to be a replica of their home, complete with long-lost friends and family. It's actually a deception from the Martians, who entrap the humans and kill them in the night. "Grandpa and Grandma Lustig" are examples of shape-shifting Martians assuming the identities of Earthlings, and in this makeshift funeral service, their faces shift "like wax," emphasizing the false exterior of these unfeeling imposters.
A Pile of Autumn Leaves
“My God, there were bodies there. It was like walking in a pile of autumn leaves." - Hathaway (" – And the Moon Be Still as Bright")
The Fourth Expedition has just discovered the bodies of the Martians, who have been wiped out by the chicken pox brought by the humans from Earth. This simile is apt and horrifying: like recently fallen leaves, these Martians have fallen en masse from the tree of life, littering the grounds of the houses, as numerous as fallen leaves.
